Improvement in revolving fire-arms



R. WHITE.

Revolving Fire-Arms.

No. 166,173. PatentedJu|y27, l875.

W I TJVESSE S Attorney N. PETERS, PHOTOAJTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D

UNITED Snares Parana @rrrica ROLLIN WHITE, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,173, dated J uly27, 1875; application filed June 26, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. ROLLIN WHITE, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesexand in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fire-Arms; and do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,making a part of this specification.

My invention relates particularly to revolvin g fire-arms having amany-chambered cylinder rotated by the raising of the hammer; The objectof the first part of my invention is to remove the old shells by theinsertion of new cartridges at the other end of the cylinder or by thefiring of said new cartridges; and to this end the nature of myinvention consists in a cylinder for revolving fire-arms made wholly orin part reversible, so that new cartridges may be inserted in theopposite direction to that of the old shells. The second part of myinvention has for its object to prevent the pawl from entering theratchet until the locking-bolt has been first released; and this part ofmy invention consists in a peculiar construction of the pawl andlocking-bolt, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in whichFigure I is a side view of a revolving firearm, with the lock-plateremoved, the breech and frame being in section, and showing one form ofmy reversible cylinder. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the samethrough the line :0 at, Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4:, and 5 show other forms ofreversible cylinder.

A represents the butt, B the frame, and G the barrel, of a revolvingfire-arm, the barrel being hinged in the usual manner to the frame. Drepresents the revolving cylinder, which is provided near each end witha series of recesses, a, on its outer side for the lock-bolt to enterinto and hold the cylinder in position for firing. This cylinder is madereversible, so that the cartridges may be inserted from either end. I

In Fig. 1 I have shown the ratchet 1) arranged in the breech-plate E,and a pin, i, projecting from said ratchet entering a hole, 00, in theend of the cylinder, so that the ratchet will rotate the same. A hole,00, is made in each end of the cylinder, so that either end may beplaced. on the ratchet. The cylinder D is formed with a circumferentialgroove in the center for the reception of a band, 01, within which thecylinder is allowed to rotate. The band (1 is provided on opposite sideswith pins or pivots e e, which enter longitudinal grooves in the top andbottom bars of the frame, and in said grooves are suitable stops toprevent the band and cylinder from being removed from the frame.

After all the chambers in the cylinder have been fired the barrel isthrown open in the usual manner. The cylinder is then moved outwarduntil the pivots e are stopped, when the cylinder is swung around onsaid pivots and new cartridges inserted in the opposite end of thecylinder. The insertion of these new cartridges pushes out the oldshells, and the cylinder is then put back in its place in a reversedposition; or the old shells may be fired out with the new cartridges, inwhich case the bore of the barrel and chambers of the cylinder must beproperly constructed to allow for the diameter of the cartridges. Wherethe cylinder revolves on a center pin or center pivots a ratchet, 1), isformed on each end of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 3.

In the above I have described the cylinder in one piece, but it may bemade in sections, and one section only reversible.

In Fig. 4 I have shown it made in two sections, D and D the outersection D being formed with a center tube, h, on which the inner sectionD is placed, and the tube projectin g through said inner section andformed with. a ratchet on its projecting end. In this casetheinnersection D is the part that is reversed, and when new cartridgesare inserted on one slide the old shells are pushed out on the other.This section 1) should be of such thickness that the shell of thecartridge will project beyond the joint between the two sections, andthereby prevent the escape of gases through said joint.

In Fig. 5 1 have shown the cylinder made in three sections, D D, and Din which case it is the middle section D only that is reversible, theinner section D being swiveled or otherwise similarly attached to thebreechplate E, of which it forms a part. Gr represents the hammer,constructed in the usual manner, and having below its pivot-point apawl, m, pivoted to it, which pawl is pressed forward by a spring, a, toengage with the ratchet and rotate the cylinder at the same time as thehammer is raised. 8 is the lockbolt formed upon the front end of anL-shaped lever, I, pivoted in the lower part of the frame 7,8. The upperrear end of the lock-bolt lever I is formed with a shoulder, y, and theratchetpawl m is formed on its under or front side, with a shoulder, Z,to catch on or abut against the shoulder on the lever, as shown inFig. 1. When in the position shown in this figure the cylinder is lockedby the bolt .9, and the hammer down. It will then be noticed that inraising the hammer the pawl m has a certain distance to travel before itenters the ratchet, and while it is traveling said distance the shoulderz of the pawl, pressing against the shoulder y of the lock-bolt lever I,turns said lever on its pivot, releasing the lock-bolt s from thecylinder, so that, by the time the pawl commences to operate on theratchet, the cylinder will be free to rotate. When the hammer is letdown the pawl passes over the inner end of the lockbolt lever until theshoulders g zcome against each other again.

Should it happen at any time that said shoulders are not engaged witheach other and the hammer then raised, the lock-bolt lever will thenremain unchanged, and the pawl will not enter the ratchet, as it isthrown backward from the same by the inner end of the lever.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. I11 a revolving fire-arm, a cylinder made wholly or in partreversible, for the insertion of cartridges in either end, as herein setforth.

2. The combination, in a revolving fire-arm, of the ratchet-pawl 112,provided with the shoulder 2, and the lock-bolt lever, provided with theshoulder 3 to operate as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this16th day of June, 1875.

- ROLLIN WHITE. Witnesses:

J. N. MARSHALL, MARTIN L. HAMBLET.

